Pitcairn Islands:
Geography

Other pages in this profile of the Pitcairn Islands:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.

Location	Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates	25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map references	Oceania
Area	total: 47 sq km land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	51 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain	rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources	miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use	arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA%
Irrigated land	NA
Natural hazards	typhoons (especially November to March)
Environment - current issues	deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Geography - note	Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore

Pitcairn Islands: Geography

Pitcairn Islands:
Geography